Blender: Action! Camera! Lights! (Creating an Animation)

Now that I've created a 3D token, it occurs to me that I could probably animate it. Here's the end result.

This tutorial was easy to follow and taught me how to spin the token:

I've done a little bit of special effects work in Adobe Aftereffects and a little bit of moving titles in KDenLive (video editing software). So the idea of applying an effect to different keyframes feels pretty natural to me.

What was less familiar was the idea that I'd need to insert an artificial light-source and a virtual camera in order to film the token moving. I'd sort of heard about this on the special features for the Toy Story movies.

Another tutorial (and some trial and error) sorted me out:

So that's nearly it, for now. I need to:

• export the file for printing
• look for a local 3D printer  
• figure out what I've (inevitably) done wrong
• write all of this up into an easy to follow guide

Previous posts:
1. Figuring out how to create a 3D object
2. Learning how to create a disc
3. Adding an image to an object

#ClayTalk